Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the Bulgarian parliament building in Sofia early Wednesday evening, demanding the resignation of the government and strengthening the fight against corruption, AFP reported. Similar protests were also held in other Bulgarian cities on Wednesday, writes TASR.
- Protests against corruption in Bulgaria took place in several cities.
- The main assembly was organized by the coalition We continue to change – Democratic Bulgaria.
- Demonstrators criticize disproportionately large-scale corruption and lack of competent leadership.
- The government withdrew the controversial budget proposal after public criticism.
- President Rumen Radev supported the protesters and called for early elections.
The rally in Sofia was organized by the pro-Western opposition centrist coalition We continue to change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB). One of its participants, 45-year-old engineer Martin Nedkov, told AFP that he took a pig’s snout as a mask in protest “because it symbolizes the barn that the state has become.” He added that he hopes for a change.
Corruption as a key issue
According to her own words, saleswoman Gergana Gelková (24) joined the protest because the ubiquitous corruption has become “unbearable”. “Most of my friends no longer live in Bulgaria and will not return. I want our country to be led by young, competent and educated people,” she told AFP.
In recent weeks, Bulgaria has been gripped by a wave of protests against the controversial draft budget for 2026, which protesters have described as an attempt to cover up rampant corruption. As Bulgaria joins the Eurozone on January 1, it will have its first budget in euros.
Draft budget under pressure
“Bulgarians do not trust their institutions and leaders. In recent months, this has been compounded by concerns about prices,” Boriana Dimitrov, director of the Alpha Research polling agency, told AFP. She said the budget row had condensed and made visible the pent-up anger against widespread corruption by “making this now mundane issue into a form that people can clearly understand”.
Under pressure from the protests, the government withdrew its draft budget in early December, which contained unpopular measures such as an increase in social security contributions. At the beginning of this week, a new proposal was presented to the parliament.
The political situation in the background
Last week, President Rumen Radev expressed support for the protesters and called on the government to step down and allow early elections. In May, Radev suggested holding a referendum on the introduction of the euro.
Together with Hungary and Romania, Bulgaria is among the worst rated EU countries in Transparency International’s corruption perception ranking.
This Balkan country has already experienced seven early elections after mass anti-corruption protests in 2020 against the government of three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Borisov’s conservative party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) also won the last parliamentary elections last year and formed the current coalition government.
